The ICIRN program (an Australian Government initiative) aims to bring together Australian and international researchers to collaborate in clean technology advances.

The RMIT team was awarded a competitive grant from the Australian Government to build an international network for solar panel recycling.

This project will upcycle and transform solar panel waste for use in products and materials of equal or higher value, such as new solar panels, batteries, absorbents and aerospace materials. The project establishes an international collaborative partnership, uniting chemical engineers, materials scientists, and entrepreneurs to realise this ambition.

The RMIT-led research network of international experts includes Australian partners Second Life Solar, Universal Vortex Industries, Blue Tribe Group, and HP Energy. Global partners include New York University & The RAND Corporation from the USA, NPL from India, Kings College London from the UK, and UCLM and EDIPAE from Spain.

Industry partners are developing business models utilising circular economy principles to identify viable end of life pv panels for reuse (as a circular alternative to recycling). Others are exploring the remanufacturing of recycled materials into new products such as solar panels and batteries.

Research partners are developing state-of-the-art resource recovery and purification process exploring electrochemical, thermal, and selective dissolution processes. This will enable the environmental isolation and value-added use of hazardous materials such as lead and fluorinated polymers.